“No. I want to put this behind me, really. I’ll go get drinks.”
I went to the bar. The bartender asked if I was okay and apologized for not coming to my aid. “I’m the only one on right now since Jerry’s on break. I’m sorry,” she said.
“You’re fine. It’s all okay.”
“Listen, when Jerry gets back from his smoke, I’m gonna have him show Horseman the door. We don’t want that kind of crap going on here, our customers not feeling safe. And your next round’s on the house.”
“Thanks, Sandy,” I said, and ordered another drink for my girls. “Can I send a beer over to Max? Just for helping me out. You don’t have to say it’s from me.”
“Sure thing. I got it covered. I’ll have Julie run your drinks over in a minute,” she said.
Soon we had another round of margaritas to sip and a basket of chips and salsa to go with them.
“Max keeps looking at you,” Trixie pointed out.
“He’s probably just looking around. I thanked him and I sent him a beer from the bar. Let it go,” I said. Still, I knew my cheeks were flushed. “Is it hot in here?”
“Only in your pants,” Laura said with a snort. “You’re making horny eyes at Max Shaffer. It’s like Trix and I aren’t even here. Jeez.”
“Shut up. He helped me out. He’s good-looking. I know that’s a dead-end, okay? Let a girl enjoy the view.” I stole one more glance at him and then turned back to my friends.
“So, I’m guessing you won’t be taking the fish sandwich off the menu now,” Trixie teased. “Now that he’s your hero.”
“I don’t think Hugh would go for changing the menu anyway,” I said.
“What would you add to the menu?” Laura asked.
“Lemon ricotta pancakes with blueberry conserve,” I said instantly.
“That sounds amazing,” she said. “I would order the shit out of that. And Brenna loves lemon so—”
“So I can make her some and bring them over this weekend!” I said. “I’ll bring you all breakfast. You have to leave her in her pajamas with her messy bedhead though. Promise?”
“I promise. If I can put off trying to drag a brush through those tangles while she freaks out, I will. I’ll delay as long as possible.”
“At least she has hair. Ashton has like three little ginger sprigs and that’s it,” Trixie said. “In pictures he looks bald.”
“Prince Harry is a ginger and he turned out hot.”
“Thanks, I’m really hoping to have a hot baby,” she snarked and we all laughed.
“I meant he won’t be bald forever. I mean, probably. You hardly ever see a bald kindergartener, right?” I teased.
“She’s sensitive about his volleyball head,” Laura said.
“Isn’t it billiard ball head if they’re bald?”
“Not with a head that big,” Trixie said. “I swore when I gave birth that he had to have a skull like Megamind because that was one huge cranium on that kid.”
“Ouch,” Laura and I both said at once.
“Brenna was a really easy birth. Which she owed me because she scared the shit out of me in the first trimester with the bleeding. Jesus,” Laura shook her head, recalling the scare they had.
“True. It just makes her even more precious now that she’s here.”
“Because she started terrorizing me before she was born?” Laura asked with an eye-roll.
“It’s good to have someone to pass the torch to,” I said. “I can’t do it all alone. Someone has to keep you on your toes.”
“I think Brenna is a sweetheart,” Trixie put in.
“You’re her aunt. You have to think so.”
“It’s true though. She’s the prettiest little thing I’ve ever seen. When you had her at your mom’s with that white bow in her hair—she looked like a little angel.”
“You’d look like an angel too if my parents were catering to your every whim,” Laura said wryly.
“You know, I think you’re right. I’d be pretty damn angelic if I was being pampered,” she said. “Do you think if I wore a cute white bow, they’d fall for it?”
“Okay, you two. Drinks are on me. Get out of here. I’m not keeping you from your gorgeous babies another minute. Give them kisses for me and tell Brenna that Rach is making her pancakes for Sunday morning.”
“I will. She loves to get up early, so like any time after six.” She groaned.
“Oh, quit whining and go love on my favorite girl,” I said.
We hugged and they both took off sheepishly and in a hurry. I felt a tiny pang of envy. I had goals. I wanted to own the diner. I was putting all my energy into that. Except for the fireworks that kept trying to make me trip over my own feet whenever I saw Max or heard his voice. Him coming to my rescue didn’t exactly help the lowkey crush I had on the hot lumberjack. In fact, the way he’d stepped in and protected me was a major turn-on. One I’d have to get under control before he and his daughter came back to the diner.